Hangman's Knot
by RoseCityxSaltskin
Summary: "It's the things we do when we hit a bump in the road that can make for the best stories." In order to stay in school, Caroline needs money fast. Luckily for her, there's a vacant spot at White Oak - the hottest, most exclusive nightclub in New Orleans. AH/OOC Klaroline Crime fic.


**Disclaimer**: All rights belong to those who created the characters and sadly not me. No copyright infringement is intended. This AU/AH Klaroline story will be rated Mature and there will be violence, mayhem and lemons. You have been warned.

**Author's Note**: To those of you who read The Preternatural Journals, don't worry, I have not abandoned that story. There will be an update soon. If you haven't read it, then please do take a look. ::wink:: Huge thanks to TallDarkAndHandsome, Tigerlily1995, Caroline Blye Winchester and Klaroline-lovegames I really appreciate you all helping me get the ball rolling on this.

[HK]

Every time Caroline closed her eyes she could hear the pulsing ring of the 9mm gun echoing through the thick Louisiana bayou.

_She could see the shock on her assailant's face as the bullet pierced his chest cavity, like a wooden stake to the heart. Blood oozed like oil on water and soaked into the earth. She'd shot someone. It wasn't Caroline's first time handling a weapon, but it was the first time she'd used it in defense. _

_Lifeless brown eyes stared up accusingly at the night sky as Caroline sank to the ground, praying for forgiveness. She took a life. She was a murderer. The blonde didn't know how much time had passed before someone shielded the corpse from her sight and a gentle voice called her name. _

_Caroline. _

_Caroline. _

"Caroline?"

Her black eyelashes fluttered and her stiff body jerked, bringing itself back to the present. Bonnie stared at her expectantly.

"Hmm?" She replied.

"The make-up artist is done," Bonnie said with concern. "Let's put on your dress."

By dress, Bonnie meant Caroline's exquisite wedding gown.

These moments and the next to follow would be Caroline's last as a Forbes; come five o'clock she would be a Mikaelson.

Caroline smiled lamely at her stylist, thanking them for their work and she went to her bridesmaids.

Modestly, she slipped off her button down shirt – all the bridal magazines said to never wear a pull over top while getting your hair and makeup done because you had a greater chance of undoing all the work you'd just sat through – and revealed her tasteful bridal lingerie.

"You should totally wear these as clothes," Katherine teased, wiggling her arched brows as she pinched Caroline's exposed hips.

Caroline blushed, looking down at her white bustier. It had light boning and romantic Chantilly lace – she was a southern bride, it wouldn't be fitting if she walked down the aisle without any. The lace carried over to the matching garter belt and cheeky panties that molded over her curves.

She looked hot.

Cami, her best friend snorted. "We all know Klaus would never go for that."

The three girls giggled at Caroline's scrunched face. No, Klaus would definitely not go for it. Jealously was an interesting look on her husband to be – Caroline had witnessed it a few times in the months she'd come to know her fiancé. She could picture his stormy blue eyes widening with lust only to morph black with possession as his sharp jaw clenched. No one could throw a fit quite like Niklaus Mikaelson.

He was complicated to say the least, but he loved her with such intensity and devotion.

_Caroline. _

_Klaus had come – because that was his way: he always seemed to appear out of nowhere whenever she needed him. He crouched down, peering at her with wide eyes mixed with relief and sadness. Caroline latched onto him with such a force. Instead of falling over, Klaus used their momentum to stand upward as he held Caroline in a tight embrace. She whimpered, awed and grateful for his strength. Caroline felt safe now that she was in his arms. _

_His calloused thumbs wiped the tears from her cheeks she hadn't known she'd shed. _

"_It's alright, love," he soothed. "It's me. You're safe."_

Ten months ago, he and Caroline met and both were irrevocably changed.

Katherine's primping and preening brought her thoughts away from the night before. "Let's get you in this dress."

The dress Caroline chose still made her heart stop. It was a beaded sweetheart mermaid gown with a drop waist and cathedral train made of soft organza and tulle. It was everything Caroline could have ever hoped for – she felt ethereal, timeless; just as perfect as Princess Grace of Monaco, if not better.

Delicately, Caroline ran her hands down her sides, feeling the fabric. Her hair was perfect. Her makeup, flawless and the dress immaculate. She felt just like a bride.

Goosebumps peppered down her arms, making the baby hairs on the nape of her neck stand up. Caroline shivered in response and she tried to calm her breathing. She closed her eyes and her subconscious took her back to the Bayou. The gun fired, the body fell and she stood alone in her grief till Klaus had come.

"_He was driving me out into the woods," _Caroline explained. "_He said it was a shortcut, but I knew something was wrong, so I grabbed the wheel and jerked it until we crashed."_

Klaus ran his hands over her face, searching for any sign of injury; there were none.

"_Are you mental?" _Klaus barked. "_That was bloody foolish." _His arms gripped her tight. He kissed her temple as he scolded her._ "You could have been hurt. You could have been killed!"_

"_What was I supposed to do?" _She asked, raising her voice. More tears fell freely and she tried to wiggle out of his grasp. Facing his temper was the last thing she wanted. She needed him to build her up, not tear her down. "_Just let myself get taken? Was I supposed to just let him shoot me? Kill me?"_

He pulled her close, unwilling to let her go.

"_I'm sorry. I'm sorry," _Klaus cooed after a beat, breathing into her skin._ "Come here, love." _

When Caroline came to, she saw that the front of the car was smashed in, but she was unharmed and her driver was alive though unconscious. As quickly and quietly as she could, Caroline escaped the wreck with her phone in hand calling the last number dialed.

"_I don't know what I would have done if Kol hadn't got here in time. I owe you a debt, brother," _Klaus said.

Kol had already begun his work of cleaning up the body and canvasing the area for any evidence of their presence. The youngest Mikaelson looked over his shoulder, sending a wild fox like grin toward them.

"_I just happen to love clean up as much as wet-work," _He joked wryly. _"Anything for Caroline."_

_Caroline. _

_Caroline. _

"Care?" Cami called.

Her maid of honor stood behind her, smoothing away a stray curl. All of Caroline's friends wore tea-length dresses, though each was a different style. Katherine and Bonnie each wore a navy dress, one strapless and the other a chic one-shoulder, respectively. Cami's blush colored dress had thin straps. It was the only color scheme she and Klaus could agree on: blush, navy and gold.

In Caroline's head the sophisticated summer colored swatches she agonized over ran red with blood and the 9mm fired again.

She flexed her fingers, brushing off the phantom feeling of the cold metal igniting in her grasp. "Yeah?"

Bonnie placed a hand on Caroline's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Caroline tried to give them her best Miss Mystic Falls smile. Confident and secure.

"I'm fine," she said happily.

Bonnie wasn't convinced. "You look a little tired," she observed.

Both Cami and Katherine nodded before Katherine opened her big, suggestive mouth. "She did get home way _later_ than the rest of us."

Last night she and Klaus had a joint bachelor/bachelorette party in the French Quarter. The ladies spent the night at Katherine and Elijah's home on the outskirts of town while the men stayed with Klaus at The Abattoir.

"No way!" Cami gushed, following Katherine's train of thought.

"Did you and Klaus hook up last night?" Bonnie wondered.

Caroline's friends stared at her with their interest piqued. Every chance they got, the girls teased Caroline about the thick sexual tension that surrounded her and Klaus.

The bride rolled her eyes. It was Caroline who insisted that she and Klaus spend the night before the wedding apart as per tradition. She would have loved to have been having sex as opposed to running for her life and gunning down her attacker.

"No."

Her girlfriends deflated.

"But you were with Klaus?" Bonnie asked, seeking clarification.

"They didn't bang...," Katherine sighed, no longer interested. Caroline's future sister-in-law turned to stare at her reflection in the mirror. "If baby girl actually gave it up, she'd probably look a lot happier. I know a freshly fucked face when I see one and that –" she paused, nodding toward Caroline, "– is not it."

"We're in a church, Katherine," Bonnie chided.

The brunette shrugged and made a disingenuous sign of the cross.

"I just wanted to talk to him. About the wedding, about us," Caroline lied while throwing Katherine a sideways glance. How did a crass woman like her marry Elijah – the stuffiest man this side of the Mason Dixon Line?

Klaus and Kol disposed of the body while Caroline sat patiently in Klaus' car. When they were finished he took her back to Elijah and Katherine's.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Cami asked, slipping into her psychologist voice.

Caroline shook her head vehemently.

"Of course not," she breathed.

"It's okay to have cold feet, Care," Bonnie told her. "You guys haven't been together long."

"Don't listen to them," Katherine scoffed. "You and Klaus are the real thing."

Katherine's brown eyes shined brightly at Caroline as she gave her a wink. No one in their circle had been shy about their negative views of Caroline and Klaus' relationship, but throughout it all, Katherine had surprisingly been their biggest supporter.

Before Caroline could say more, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Katherine commanded.

"Ladies?" Elijah Mikaelson poked his head into the dressing room politely. "It's time to go."

Instantly, her heart rate increased as Elijah gave her a critical gaze. Caroline was certain he knew what happened in the woods. It wasn't surprising because there was little that happened in the family that Elijah wasn't already privy to.

She walked toward her future brother-in-law with her winning smile back on while her friends gathered their bouquets and the emergency bridal kit Caroline constructed weeks in advance. It was almost show time.

"Miss. Forbes," Elijah said, holding his arm out for her.

Caroline linked her arm in his, letting him escort her.

"Mrs. Mikaelson, almost," she reminded him.

His weary eyes softened and he gave her a smile.

"Indeed."

They walked silently into the hallway where the rest of groomsmen waited. Following Elijah's lead, Klaus's friends walked into the chapel alerting the guests that the ceremony was about to begin. The noise from the crowd lessened to a dull murmur and the organ finally began to play.

"Here we go," Bonnie said.

"Welcome to the family," Katherine smiled.

"You look beautiful," Cami reassured her.

Each girl gave Caroline a brief hug before walking down the aisle of St. Anne's church to the rest of the wedding party. Finally, Caroline saw Cami reach the steps and heard the pews groan and creak as people turned to see her entrance. She stepped into the doorway and looked for the only person that mattered.

Klaus' attention was zeroed in on her. The smile on his lips widened, making him look happier and more carefree than she'd ever seen any man and she knew this wasn't a mistake. Their age gap, conflicting upbringings and differing faiths – they were irrelevant. They had love and desire and friendship. As for the murder well…she was about be the wife of Niklaus Mikaelson, the most dangerous man in New Orleans. No matter what came next, they would overcome it. Together.

[HK]

A/N: So there's the prologue! I'd LOVE to hear what you think.

Caroline's wedding dress: Danica by Ines di Santo


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